Digital cameras are becoming increasingly popular—in fact, a recent study suggests that digital camera sales are currently reaching the same level as film camera sales. Early generations of digital cameras include a fixed storage device inside the camera for storing photographed images in digital image files. To retrieve the image files from the storage device, the camera is connected directly to a computer via cables so that the image files can be transferred to the computer. For example, to implement such a connection, a camera may include a serial port, a parallel port, a SCSI port, a USB port, and the like. Such a system of connecting the camera to the computer however, is inconvenient and often results in running out of storage space in the camera.
Newer digital cameras include removable storage devices for storing digital photograph image files. The removable storage devices typically are small, removable, solid-state flash-memory devices that have no moving parts. The removable storage devices can be physically removed from the camera and the image files on the storage device can be subsequently transferred to a computer or printer. This technique allows the user to have several removable storage devices, so that when one storage device becomes full, the user may insert another storage device in the camera. However, if a user desires to take a lot of photographs before transferring the image files to the computer, the user may have to purchase multiple removable storage devices, which may become expensive. Moreover, the transferring of the images from the removable storage devices to the computer is an additional manual user step, which may be inconvenient.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method and system for a simpler way to transfer digital photograph image files to a computer.